David Sheiner, Veteran Character Actor of *The Odd Couple* and Classic Television, Dies at 98

David Sheiner died on June 5, 2026, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from renal failure. He was 98 years old. The news was confirmed by his son, Andrew Sheiner, who told *The Hollywood Reporter* of the cause and location of his father’s passing.

David Sheiner, Beloved Character Actor From ‘The Odd Couple,’ Dies At 98

Born in the Bronx on January 13, 1928, Sheiner graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School and served in the U.S. Army Air Forces. After his service he received an eight-year Actors Studio scholarship from co-founder Lee Strasberg, studying alongside Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. When Sheiner asked Strasberg about his talent, the teacher replied, “Only you would know that.”

Hollywood Reporter

Sheiner’s Broadway debut came in 1951 with the prison drama *Darkness at Noon* starring Claude Rains and Kim Hunter. He later toured with Clifford Odets’s *The Country Girl* and appeared in the 1955-56 comedy *Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?* opposite Walter Matthau and Jayne Mansfield.

Hollywood Reporter

Sheiner’s most recognizable film role was Roy, the accountant-friend in Gene Saks’s 1968 adaptation of *The Odd Couple* starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. Additional screen credits include James the Elder in George Stevens’s *The Greatest Story Ever Told* (1965), Guido Lorenz in Michael Winner’s *The Stone Killer* (1973), and a supporting part in *Blue Thunder* (1983). On television he appeared in dozens of series, such as the 1963 *Twilight Zone* episode “The Thirty-Fathom Grave,” *Mission: Impossible*, *Hawaii Five-O*, *Columbo*, *The Fugitive*, *Planet of the Apes*, and his final credit on *Murder, She Wrote* (1988).

David Sheiner, Beloved Character Actor From ‘The Odd Couple,’ Dies At 98

Sheiner served for years on the Screen Actors Guild’s Wages and Working Conditions Committee and on the Academy’s International Feature Film selection committee. He counted *Lost in Space* star Jonathan Harris among his closest friends.

Hollywood Reporter

Sheiner is survived by his wife, television writer Mary-David Sheiner—daughter of Mary C. McCall Jr., the first woman president of the Writers Guild of America—and their children, Andrew and Kate, as well as granddaughter Liv. Donations in his memory may be directed to the Motion Picture & Television Fund.

Hollywood Reporter

Andrew Sheiner confirmed his father’s death and cause of renal failure. Mary-David Sheiner, a veteran TV writer, has not issued a public statement beyond acknowledging the loss.

David Sheiner, Beloved Character Actor From ‘The Odd Couple,’ Dies At 98

No critical or opposing commentary regarding Sheiner’s career or death appears in the available sources.

David Sheiner, Beloved Character Actor From ‘The Odd Couple,’ Dies At 98

All sources agree on the date (June 5, 2026), location (Los Angeles), and cause (renal failure) of death; no discrepancies were identified.

David Sheiner, Beloved Character Actor From ‘The Odd Couple,’ Dies At 98

> “Only you would know that.” — Lee Strasberg, Acting Teacher

Hollywood Reporter

Sheiner’s extensive film and television catalog will continue to circulate on streaming platforms and classic-TV broadcasts, ensuring ongoing exposure to new audiences. The Motion Picture & Television Fund will receive memorial contributions.

David Sheiner, Beloved Character Actor From ‘The Odd Couple,’ Dies At 98